Panel talks grows, product-makers

If you want to grow recreational marijuana in Pueblo — legally — you may find your business out in an industrial area of town.

City Council is looking at where to allow marijuana-growing businesses and product-makers and a plan they want to discuss with the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission next week would confine those to industrial zones.

Council isn’t talking about the retail sale of marijuana — that subject still is a sharply dividing one. But a majority of council is interested in allowing other marijuana businesses in the city, such as growers and those that make pot-infused products. Just no direct sales to city residents.

On March 26, council intends to meet with the city planning commission to discuss a zoning plan. In fact, the city planning staff hopes to have a public hearing on that zoning proposal at the commission’s April 9 meeting.

Pueblo has strict zoning and licensing regulations for medical marijuana businesses, which is one reason none have been licensed to date. There are now four applications on file with the city, planners told council.

Given that state officials only are granting recreational pot licenses to established medical marijuana, it isn’t surprising that applications are now being filed for the medical pot stores in the city.

The buffer zones for medical marijuana businesses are lengthy. For example, those stores cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school or child care business, or a publicly owned building.

One issue council wants to discuss with the planning commission is whether to keep those same lengthy buffer zones for recreational marijuana businesses, too, even though they would be confined to industrial areas.